The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift and the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is the longer of the two lenses at 99mm. The Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM with a length of 72mm, is 27mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift also has a larger diameter of 80mm compared to the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM's 75mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM weighs 240g, 58% (335g) lighter than the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift's weight of 575g.
Filter Threads
The Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a filter size of 77mm whereas the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has a 67mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 77mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift:
And these are the 67mm filters that we recommend for the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM:
Lens Mounts
The Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has the Canon RF lens mount whereas the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has the Canon EF-S lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with these mounts are RED Komodo-X 6K, RED Komodo 6K and Canon EOS C70 for the Canon RF Mount and Canon T8i, Canon 90D and Canon SL3 for the Canon EF-S Mount.
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift is also available in the Sony E , Nikon Z, Fujifilm X, Leica L and Leica M mounts.
Focal Range
Laowa 12-24mm f5.6 Shift has a focal range of 12-24mm and
2.0X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of
18-36mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
On the other hand, the Canon 10-18mm f4.5-5.6 IS STM has a focal range of 10-18mm and 1.8X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 16-28.8mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
